Joshua w



` patent.

UNITED; STATES.

,PATENrOFFIcE.

JOSHUA W. RAPPLEYE, OF FARMERWILLAGE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN wlaEfFENcEs.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, J oslHUA W. RAPPLEYE, ofFarmer Village, in the county of Seneca and State of New York, have invented a certain Improvement in Fences, of which the following is a specilication:

This invention is an improvement on that patented `to me July 4, `1871, NQ.'.116,755. It consists in comrbining,`with the pickets and wires, brace-wires which pass around the posts and attached to the end pickets of the sections,

.forthe purpose hereinafter stated.

In the dra-wing, Figure 1 is an elevation; Fig. 2, a top view 5 Fig. 3, an elevation of Fig.` 2 Fig. 4, views of the gage-bar: Fig. 5, a view of the'stays.

In general construction the fence is the sa me as in my patent before referred to.

A A are the posts. B B are the strands of wires which hold the pickets. C C are the pickets. D is the evener. E is the windlass, and G isk the stoneboat, or equivalent weight, by which the yielding tension is produced. The wires are attached at one end, then carried the len gth of the desired stretch of fence and the opposite ends attached to the doubletree or evener, as shown in Figpl, and as fast as the Wires are taken up by the interweavin g of the pickets the stone-boat or other weight is drawn up by the tension, thus always keep' ing the wires taut and straight. The connection between the evener and the windlass is made by chains or cords a a, and between the windlass and stone-boat by chains b t. The

twisting of the wires to produce the interweaving of the .pickets is accomplished by the hand-levers@ o. The strands of wire are connected with the posts by means of staplesor lhooks d d and metallic sheaths j j", which allow a longitudinal free motion. Thus far the construction is thelsame as in my aforesaid The' first feature oi' my improvement is as "follows: 0n each side of the posts vI make severaltwists, j, of the wiresbefore inserting the pickets,"so that when the first pickets are applied they stand some four or five inches, more or less, from the posts andy cannot be driven any nearer, thus leaving epd room for the main wires to passthrongh he sheaths underexpansion or contraction. \I then Vattachto the end picket, on one side 1and below the main wires, a brace-wire, H, which is then drawn tant around the back side of rthe post,

opposite from the staple or hook, and attached ina similar manner to the other end picket on the other side of the post. Oneof these brace wires is passed around the post in lconnection with each Vset of the main wires. Y

The advantage of this ,arrangementis A`that while the main wires have freedom to move longitudinally through the sheaths and hooks under contraction or expansion, the brace wires H make a connection around the postand bind the two end pickets together, by which means no outward or lateral'strain 'can come on the sheaths and hooks to wear or chafe them, orto draw them out of place. In other Words, the main Wires are bound firmly to the faces ot' the posts, and ,yet can movey there is still less danger of outward thrust toV force the yhooks or staples from place. Another advantage is that a doubleconnection comes at the posts where the greatest strain occurs, sothat there is less danger ot' breakage ot' the main wires under longitudinal tension, and even should the line of fence be broken between any two posts by falling trees or otherwiseit would not release the ad jacent sections, for the reason that the bracewires' tie them in place. Another advantage is that the weight of the fence rests upon the end pickets, held as above described, and does not come in a great degree upon the bearings or hooks.

The second feature of myinvention consists of stays K K, which kstand at an angle to the fence on opposite sides, as Vshown in Fig. 5.

posts at regular intervals apart cannot be well v set.' They simply serve as stays where there are long stretches of the wire between4 the posts, and as the main weight of the fence is 'held by the tension on the samethese stays may be made light and in the form of stakes. Owing also to the tension on the fence the posts may be. placed at long intervals apart where these stays are used. The staples or eyes in the stays allow the main wires to move endwise under contraction or expansion, and therefore they are not impediments. In this respect they di'er from ordinary stakes. It would not do to make them fast to the wires, as the latter require a free action. The staples at the top allow such free action while they still hold the fence up.

The third feature of my improvement consists in the use of a gage-bar, I, which is slitted, as shown at g g, or equivalently arranged, to embrace and slide over the main wires. The

slits or bearings which embrace the wires are made at a given distance apart, which is equal to the space between the sets of main wires. The end h also projects downward a sufiicient distance to rest closely on the surface of the ground. lkeeping the main wires at uniform space at 'all times, and alsoto keep this uniformity of This device is for the purpose of the wires in passing over uneven surfaces. In this case the bottom of the gage-bar, following the undulation of the ground, will give a corresponding undulation to the wires or make them follow the same course.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is-

' In combination with the main twisted wires B and the pickets C C, the brace-wires H atfl tached to the end pickets of each panel so asl to pass to the rear of the posts A opposite the attachments or bearings of the main wires, inv the manner, and for the purpose specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J. W. RAPPLEYE.

Witnesses R. F. OsGooD, ARCHIE BAINE. 

